About the Play:

The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge is a full-length comedy by Mark Brown. The Trial of the Century! One year after his miraculous transformation in Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale, Ebenezer Scrooge appears to have reverted to his old ways. Amidst plenty of mayhem and laughter Scrooge indignantly files suit against Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. The charges: breaking and entering, kidnapping, attempted murder and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. With Scrooge representing himself (to save a pound), and London's charismatically clever barrister, Solomon Rothschild representing the ghosts, what will become of the spirit of Christmas? The classic Dickens' characters return to take the witness stand in this courtroom farce. The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge is guaranteed to keep audiences in stitches!

The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge is a holiday sequel inspired by A Christmas Carol. A year after his miraculous transformation, Ebenezer Scrooge is back to his old ways and is suing Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future for breaking and entering, kidnapping, slander, pain and suffering, attempted murder and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. The ghosts employ Solomon Rothschild, England's most charismatic, savvy, and clever barrister. Scrooge, that old penny pincher, represents himself. One by one, Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's nephew Fred, solicitor and philanthropist Sara Anne Wainwright, and the ghosts themselves take the witness stand to give their account of the night in question. But the Spirit of Christmas Future breaks down under heavy questioning and confesses that Jacob Marley forced the spirits to break one of the rules of redemption: Do not use a dead body to scare someone into redemption, for the consequences could prove fatal. Judge Stanchfield Pearson gives his verdict: Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas, guilty! Pearson fines the spirits 40,000 pounds apiece and terminates their redemptive duties. Rothschild desperately pleads with the judge not to terminate the spirits of Christmas. It's a death sentence. But in another staggering turn of events, Scrooge makes the spirits an offer: work every day, not just one day a year, and he'll drop the charges. The spirits agree and, to everyone's amazement, Scrooge does drop the charges. But he's keeping the money the ghosts owe him to start a fund to help the poor. Everyone stares at Scrooge. And then … a twinkle in Scrooge's eye, a smile and giddy, joyously delirious laughter. Scrooge confesses that Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas had to go to extraordinary measures to change him, so he had to go to extraordinary measures to change the Spirits of Christmas. The spirit of caring and giving should be every day, not just once a year. Scrooge then leads the stunned crowd to his house for a wondrous party.

The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge premiered in 2004 at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre. Since its debut, the play has become a holiday favourite of schools, colleges, and community theatres.

Cast: 5 female, 8 male (alternate casting 2 female, 6 male with doubling)

What people say:

"Like any good sequel, The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge offers a fresh spin on beloved characters, revealing new facets of their personalities while honoring familiar source material. ...an inspired continuation of Charles Dickens' 1843 classic A Christmas Carol. It's a sequel worthy of Dickens' approval." — The Seattle Times

"Mark Brown knows exactly how to make 'Bah! Humbug!' funny all over again. And it's his way with Dickens' words – turning them inside out and upside down in the service of this clever follow-up to A Christmas Carol – that makes The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge the exhilarating entertainment it is." — Orlando Sentinel

"This entertaining fantasy picks up some time after Scrooge's Christmas Eve reformation... Mr. Scrooge is descending on the halls of justice with a lawsuit against his old friends, the ghost of Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Scrooge accuses the well-intentioned ghosts of trespassing, kidnapping, stealing, unnecessary cruelty and sundry other crimes. ... As the testimony of living and spectral beings unfolds we are taken through Dickens' tale, but in this version Scrooge seems to turn the tables on the Spirits who haunted him. Yet all ends well with a surprisingly clever heart-warming twist." — The Oregonian

About the Playwright:

Mark Brown is an award-winning writer and actor. His plays include Around the World in 80 Days; The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge; China, The Whole Enchilada; Poe: Deep Into That Darkness Peering (co-written with Mark Rector); and The Little Prince (co-written with Paul Kiernen). As an actor, he has appeared on stage, screen and TV and worked with such people as Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Dick Van Dyke, and Jeff Goldblum.